Choosing a favorite image this year was really hard. I found that my entire Top 10 were really different from one another. Since 2020 I’ve been trying to find my voice again as a photographer, so so much has changed in the world and in my life. The images I’ve chosen are a perfect blend (in my opinion) of stylized choices and natural moments. Some things in each image are specifically set up to be the way they are, and others are just beautiful captured moments in time. Anyways, here is a magazine ad worthy photo of sweet Addie during a break from her summer creek session, which I have deemed my personal favorite from 2022.
And here are the remaining 9 in my Top 10, in no particular order.
As you can see, I love photographing all of moments in life- SO I’ve decided to go with that as the theme for this post.
My goal as a photographer is to make a connection with my client, whatever moment of the cycle of life they enter my life as a client (and lets be honest, they almost always become friends too) I want the cycle to continue.
So, let’s start with birth. While I didn’t photograph any births in 2022, I did photograph newborns. Here are a few favorite youngest subjects.
As these sweet newborns grow up, we capture those little moments in between, because a newborn is not the same as a 3 month old, and a 3 month old doesn’t giggle and hold himself up like a 6 month old, and a 6 month is so different from a 9 month old, and a 9 month old doesn’t… well a 9 month old doesn’t get to smash cake like a 1 year old.
But then they grow up, and it happens quickly and often images of big kids, and teens only happen during larger family sessions. That’s okay though, I always try to take time for at least one quick solo image of each kiddo. I want to document the way they are different as they grow up. Here are some favorites of just kiddos, solo and with siblings:
Eventually it’s time for senior portraits, and while I haven’t photographed someone from newborn to high school senior- YET- I hope the day will come. But I’ve only been in business since 2012 so I’ve got at least 7 more years! Here are some favorite images from senior sessions:
After senior portraits, things don’t go in an order so much as stages. Different things happen in different orders, but it’s always my hope that as those seniors grow up they take the choice their parent likely made in hiring me to photograph them as a child and make it themselves.
One thing that I sometimes see a senior after graduation is headshots. I also see adults whose families I photograph, or sometimes I only see people for headshots, and that’s okay too!
Another thing that often happens though, is people fall in love, and get married, and then… eventually they get pregnant and have a baby (I mean… if that’s what they want to do of course!) I do have a few clients where I took their senior portraits and their wedding photos- and their newborn baby’s photos (etc.!)
That brings us full circle… kind of. Because there is so much more with lives and families and people, and I really love capturing all those moments.
So that’s the end.
Except it’s not. Not only are my clients’ lives growing and changing, so is mine. My kiddo is growing up, and my siblings are having kids, and it’s such an incredible blessing to be the person that gets to document it. So I’m finishing off this 2022 recap with some of my favorite images of my nephews and my son, because at the end of the day, those are always going to be my most favorite favorites.
